Rob Fokkens‘ Glimpses of a half-forgotten future for string quartet received its German premiere by the the Cologne-based Signum Quartet – previously BBC New Generation Artists – in Duisburg Philharmonie on Sunday, 30 October 2016. The ensemble will be performing the piece at the Cardiff University next Tuesday, 8 November 2016, as part of their partnership on #quartweet, a project in which the quartet invites composers to tweet them a short quartet of 140 notes or less on Twitter.

Glimpses of a half-forgotten future started life as a single movement work for clarinet quartet, which was commissioned and premiered by Clariphonics in the 2009 Park Lane Group Young Artists Series at the South Bank, London. “I have wanted to rework this movement for string quartet ever since – writing for the Carducci Quartet offered the perfect opportunity, this piece becoming the first movement of the present work. The second and third movements pick up where the first left off,” says the South African composer based in London.

The work is dedicated to the Carducci Quartet, and was first performed by them on 13 November 2012 in the Concert Hall at Cardiff University School of Music. Have a glimpse through the score.